The Mutant
by Maverick2797
Summary: Max was just another normal teenager, until she was kidnapped by some guys in a van. When she escaped though, she wasn't the same person as before... Sorry, bad summary, even worse prologue. Does get better (promise)
1. Prologue

Prologue

Three men stood in a dark laboratory. Two wearing lab coats, were watching cells divide through microscopes, occasionally taking notes on a computer nearby. The third was gazing out of a darkened window towards objects unknown. A short man in a lab coat shuffled up to him nervously. "Um, excuse me sir. I hate to interrupt your pondering, but..." "But what, exactly," he snapped. "The-the experiment is ready, sir," the scientist stuttered. "Good. Very good. Begin immediately. I want this project up and running right now." The second man bowed deeply. "Yes Visser. Right away Visser."

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _ **I know its not a long prologue, nor is it by far the best, but I wrote this on the bus to school last year as something to do and the rest of the story sort of fell into itself.  
**_

 _ **Mav**_

 _ **(It does get better than this, I promise)**_


	2. Kidnapped

Chapter 1: Kidnapped

My name's Max. I can't tell you my last name. Or where I'm from. It's not safe. Not any more. They have eyes and ears everywhere. I was kidnapped and taken to a place called The School. A large van came up behind me on my way home from school one day. One of those ones that people say are owned by paedophiles and rapists. Only the people who wanted me didn't want to do that kind of stuff to me. They experimented on me. For months, I've been poked and prodded with all kinds of sharp instruments, injected with liquids that would make a rainbow envious and been shoved in a dog crate. There were people walking past the room that my cage was in almost all the time, but the only visitors I got we're armed with more needles. Except for one. Whenever he came in, he seemed nervous. Like he wasn't supposed to be there. He told me about the other experiments in the rooms next to mine, and even let me out of my cage every now and then. After a few months, he 'accidentally' left my cage open. He said his name was Jeb Batchelder and told me to find a group of resistance fighters called the 'Andalite Bandits.' Resistance to what, I didn't know, but I wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth and stay here. I managed a rushed thanks before I ran out the door and up an almost endless flight of stairs. The stairs finally ended in one of the most bizarre places you could think of. The freezer in the back of a McDonalds restaurant. I bolted through the kitchen and out the front door before snapping out my wings and flapping like crazy. Yes, you heard me right. I did say wings. One of those injections must have had some DNA in it or something because it's not every day you grow wings.

 ** _Author's Note:_**

 ** _Just letting everyone know that I don't expect to fully complete this story. It will be up for adoption after chapter 15  
_**

 ** _I know it's my first, but I'm not much of a writer. Most chapters aren't over 300-400 words._**

 ** _Anyways, enjoy_**

 ** _Mav_**

P.S: I don't own Animorphs or Maximum Ride. K.A Applegate and James Patterson do. Soz


	3. Learning To Fly

Chapter 2: Learning To Fly

It's been two months since I got out of The School, and I've been stealing food from houses near the forest edge when I can't find anything edible in the forest itself. I think the first time I used my wings was like some sort of instinct, because I crashed in a forest just out of town after a few hours. It's taken a while, but I finally figured out how to fly. It was almost by accident, really. I was walking through the forest when a cliff just appeared in front of me. As in one minute flat forest, the next there's a hundred foot cliff right where I put my foot. They say baby birds learn to fly by falling out of the nest, and that's kind of like what happened to me. Except that I couldn't find the cliff once I landed. By watching the birds in the area, I've been able to move my wings in a way like they do and have managed to take off from a running start. One bird in particular, a hawk I think, has been really helpful. Perhaps too helpful. Lately he keeps doing these little hops from tree to tree then stares at me, like he wants me to follow.

"Hey buddy, what's up?" I know birds can't really talk, but he's my only company out here. I'd have gone crazy ages ago. Perhaps I already am. Which is why it wasn't surprising when it talked back.

< I want you to come with me. There's something we need to discuss with you. > I stood up straight, the hairs on the back of my neck prickling. As I turned around to face him, he spoke again.

< Yes, you. Follow me. This could be life or death for both of us. >

"How can you talk?" Maybe I imagined a sigh of frustration, but he ruffled his feathers and shifted his footing on the branch.

< There isn't time. The others can explain it better than I can. > Hesitantly, I followed him. He led me to a barn just outside the forest. It was one of those tall ones with the big double doors and a smaller one above it to a hayloft. As I approached, I heard voices in the barn.

"Oh come on. The mighty Xena doesn't want to get her hands a little dirty? I'd have thought you'd be the first to jump at it!"

"Hey! It's not my fault that Mr. Tidwell gave me another paper to do over the weekend. How was I supposed to know that I'd be spending most of my spare time fighting aliens. Besides, we're here because Tobias said he needed to show us something. Not to decide whether or not I'm helping Cassie clean her barn." By this time, I was standing just outside the door, just out of view. The hawk darted in through the door and landed neatly on the rafter by the hayloft.

< Quit your bickering you two, and keep it down. I could hear you from the forest. Besides, this is kind of important. You might as well come in, you know > I assumed he was talking to me, but the thought of what they might say when I walked in had me worried. What if they thought I was a freak? What if they took me back to the School? Slowly, I edged my way around the door. What I saw could have scared almost anyone to death. A blue centaur, with no mouth and an extra pair of eyes on rotating stalks on top of its head was standing right in front of me. That wasn't what made me stop in my tracks though. The tail, shaped like a scorpion's, but with a deadly blade at the tip, was millimetres away from my neck as soon as I was in sight of him. A single twitch would have my head severed from my body. The hawk turned at the sudden movement.

< Ax-man, chill. This is the mut...ah, I mean, person I was telling you about. She's been living in the forest for weeks. She's not a Yeerk. > Slowly, the bladed tail was withdrawn from my neck. I gulped and placed a hand to my jugular to make sure it was still there. A blonde haired boy about my age stood up from the hay bale he'd been sitting on.

"Hi, I'm Jake."

 _ **Authors Note:**_

 _ **As I said in the last chapter, I'm not expecting to finish the story, but any reviews are welcome. I had an hour bus ride to and from school for the last few years, and added bits and pieces here and there. All chapters have been pre-written, just been meaning to add my contribution to the community here for a year or so.**_

 _ **Enjoy,**_

 _ **Mav**_

 _ **P. S: I only own plot, no characters**_


	4. Introductions

Chapter 3: Introductions

Jake told me how they'd been fighting a secret alien invasion for months, pretending to be Andalite bandits by using their morphing powers. That's where the name Animorphs comes from. It's short for animal morphers. If they hadn't taken a short cut through an abandoned construction site one night, they wouldn't have met a dying Andalite prince who gave them the power to morph. As far as the Yeerks knew, they were all Andalites who had escaped the destruction of the Dome Ship, the Andalite mothership that was vaporised by the Yeerks when they began orbiting our planet. This is only partially true. Only one Andalite escaped the crippled ship, and the Animorphs rescued him from certain doom moments before his ship was destroyed. Aximilli-Esgarouth-Ithsmil, or Ax for short, has been living in the forest as well. That would explain why I found a copy of World Almanac so far from any of the hiking trails. If I was an alien on a foreign planet, I'd want to know about its inhabitants.

They also told me about the Yeerk Peace Movement, a renegade group of Yeerks that didn't want to have to invade a planet to have a host. They'd rather that artificial hosts were created so that they wouldn't have to enslave innocent species. One of their teachers, Mr Tidwell, was a member, and I gathered that Jeb was as well.

"That's great and all, but who are you guys?" I asked. The shorter, dark haired boy stood up and bowed.

"Introductions are in order, I believe. I am Sir Marco. Knight of the order of the..."

"Midgets. Definitely of the midgets," the taller blonde haired girl finished for him. Marco just scowled at her. "I'm Rachel, by the way. Don't listen to Marco. He thinks he's the funniest guy around." The African-American girl spoke up.

"Hey. I'm Cassie. This is my family's barn, also known as the Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic, and I'd like to say welcome to the group. Or gang. Or team. Or whatever you want to call it."

< While we're doing the whole Alcoholics Anonymous thing, I'm Tobias and I'm a red-tailed hawk with the mind of a human. Or possibly a human with the body of a red-tailed hawk, I don't know really. I'm still trying to get my head around it >

"What do you mean you don't know?"

< I'm what the Andalites call a nothlith. Someone who has overstayed the two hour time limit and become trapped in morph. When you morph, you get the animal's instincts. When you become stuck, you still have those instincts. There was a time when I didn't know who I was anymore and the instincts kept me alive. I like to think of myself as part bird now anyway. >

It was reassuring to know that they've already accepted someone who's part bird. so I decided to reveal my secret.

"I guess we should get along alright then. We already have that in common. I'm Max, and I'm human with a few genetic anomalies."


	5. Revelations

Chapter 4: Revelation

"What do you mean by that?" asked Jake, his smile fading. Slowly, I slid my wings through the slits in my windbreaker. As I extended them to their full fourteen foot wingspan, everyone just stood there, staring intensely with their mouths open. The Andalite seemed intrigued by them. He approached cautiously, his tail half raised as if he didn't know whether to attack or not.

< What are you? You look human, but you have wings like Tobias. Your species is not documented in any factual human books that I have read, only in what the humans call non-fiction. Are you not of this planet? > I shrugged, folding in my wings at the same time.

"I am as far as I know," I replied. "I was kidnapped by this place called The School and experimented on. A couple of months ago I was broken out by this guy called Jeb Batchelder. From what you've told me, I think he might be part of the peace movement. It's it funny how you found me when he told me to find the you and to tell you that they were creating a new species of controller." Jake turned , obviously a bit shaken at this bit of news.

"At one point, they were making sharks into Controllers to invade a planet mostly covered in water, but we managed to destroy the facility. We're there any more people like you down in the Yeerk pool? If this wasn't just a one-off thing, we may have a serious problem." I've never liked being the bearer of bad news, so I put it as delicately as I could.

"Um, well you see... I, ah... um... yeah-there-were-over-fifty-of-us-in-dog-crates." I spoke so fast that my tongue had to take a breather before I could figure out what I'd said.

"Hey, slow down. It's not your fault. The way I see it, we smash our way in there, break them all out, bust up their labs and get outta there." I had to admit, Rachel had a sort of bravado that was contagious. Jake stood up.

"In that case then, Tobias? Have you found any more entrances lately?"

< Nope. They're being extra careful now that they know we know there are entrances all over town. I got nothing. >

"I think I might know someone who does though. A whole race of someone's," said Marco. Jake seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"Ok, so we have a plan. Tobias, you go and get Erek. We'll work out the finer details here." I think if he wasn't already in a war, Jake would have made a good army General.

< Sir. Yes sir! > saluted Tobias, raising a wing in mock salute before taking off through the hay loft.


	6. Erek

Chapter 5: Erek

About half an hour later, Tobias flew in again, followed by a boy a few years older than me.

"Hey, you must be Max. Nice to meet you. Tobias told me about you. I'm Erek, one of the best informants in the world, possibly the galaxy. These guys are lucky to know me." He seemed good natured enough, and stuck his hand out. If there's one thing that I've learned since I was kidnapped though, is not to trust people at first sight. Tentatively, I shook his hand. After not receiving an electric shock of any kind, I shook it a bit harder.

"So what makes you such a good informant? If what they've told me is right, a Yeerk can access any memory it likes once it's in your head. How is it that you guys are still here?" I asked. Jake spoke up, a slight smile forming on his face.

"Erek, I think it's time to show Max who you really are." What happened next made me almost jump out of my skin. Where Erek had been standing only a moment ago was an exact copy of myself. Startled, my wings shot out, making me instantly look twice as big.

"Hey Tobias, look. She's doing that thing you do when you get knocked unconscious," said Marco with a chuckle.

< I told you, that's not me, it's the hawk. I guess she got some new instincts when she got the wings. >

"'She' is right here you know. You don't have to talk about me like I'm not here." Folding my wings back in, i turned to my 'clone.'

"How can you do that?" Erek changed a few more times into various people, including the Vice President and Elvis before turning into some sort of android.

"This is who I really am. As you can probably guess, I'm not exactly from around here, but I've lived hundreds of lifetimes here on Earth. What you saw is how we manage to remain hidden. Holograms that are centuries, if not millennia away from even the Andalites. Our creators crash landed on Earth thousands of years ago. You're looking at someone who helped make the pyramids. We may have given the human race a bit of a helping hand over the centuries, but we're programmed to be nonviolent. The Animorphs helped me remove that limitation once, but it wasn't pretty. So, yeah. That's basically how I fit into the whole picture. Any questions?"

"Um, how do we get into the Yeerk pool? They've sealed all the ones we've ever used and been really careful not to let us find any others," stated Rachel.

"You won't find them from the air anymore. They've linked them to the subways. The disabled toilets are actually drop shafts that activate when you push a hidden button behind the toilet bowl. Kinda humiliating for the host really." Erek scrunched up his nose, or at least made the hologram do it. "A bit disgusting too. Anything else?" I looked around to see the others shaking their heads.

"Thanks for that Erek. We owe you one," said Jake.

"Any time. We owe you our lives, and if it helps take down the Yeerks, we're there." Erek smiled a little, almost sadly. "I mean, as much as we can, anyway. I'll see you around at school." My life has definitely taken a turn for the weirder these last few months.


	7. The Blue Cube

Chapter 6: The Blue Cube

"So Max, do you want to help us take down the people who did this to you? Because if you do, there's one more thing we have to do before we attack," said Jake.

"Um, Jake. Are you sure? I'm pretty sure we don't want to go through the whole David thing again. What we did to him still gives me nightmares," said Rachel with a shudder.

"Who's David? What happened?" I asked.

"David was a kid who found the source of our powers. We thought it had been destroyed when the Yeerks destroyed the Andalite ship, so we didn't bother looking for it. He used the device to break into shops and banks before threatening to turn us and the device over to Visser Three in exchange for his parents. If that happened, then Earth would be lost by now. We had to force him to remain in a rat morph for more than two hours, until he became permanently trapped. It was a tough decision and we regret having our hands tied like that. But it had to be done." I shuddered at the thought of being a rat for the rest of my life. These guys were serious.

"I'm in. Lets do it." Rachel smiled and glanced at Marco, who groaned.

"Great. Now there's two of them to make fun of me. Bring on the short jokes!" Meanwhile, Cassie was climbing down the ladder from the hay loft with something tucked under her arm. A large cube that was glowing blue softly in the shadow.

"This is the device that David found. We figured we should keep it close if we ever did need it," said Jake. "Since it belongs to your people, I think you should do the honours Ax."

< Yes, Prince Jake. I agree. Come forward Max, and place your hand on a side of the Escafil device. It will not hurt you. > I put my hand on the top of the cube, and Ax did the same. The cube turned purple for the briefest of moments before returning to its blue glow. A sort of shock raced up my arm and throughout my body.

< It is done. You need only touch an animal and concentrate on it to acquire its DNA pattern. Then simply focus on that animal to begin the morphing process. It is usually painless, and rarely does someone possess the ability to control the morph in an artistic way. We call them Estreen, or morph-dancers, on my home world. > I looked at the cube. It seemed so innocent, with its slight glow. You would never know, unless someone told you, that it had the power to hold back entire armies. Or create new ones.


	8. The Hawk

Chapter 7 : The Hawk

"Now that you've got the power, welcome to the Animorphs. Lets go get your first morph and get some practice in." Jake smiled. "I think we should find you a bird to acquire first. You shouldn't have too much trouble with that. Cassie, what have you got here that flies here? Apart from Max and Tobias of course."

"Um, let me think for a second. There's an osprey with a broken leg, two geese that flew into power lines, a couple of pigeons, a blue jay... Oh! I know!" With that she trotted off towards the back of the barn and came back with a large cage. "This big girl is on loan from another zoo. Mum needs to check that she isn't carrying foreign parasites or something before she takes her to The Gardens bird exhibit." The Gardens is like a huge amusement park and a zoo combined. I once heard that they found someone's wallet in the dolphin tank because a roller coaster does a loop over it.

"Her name's Tess," said Cassie as she pulled the cover off. Inside was a large, tan hawk. "She's an Australian brown goshawk, but she has talons more vicious than a red tail's and a beak that has adapted to tearing muscle from the bone. Although she isn't the biggest bird, she makes up with her hovering ability. They have huge thermals in Australia, and all she has to do is make micro adjustments to her wings and tail. An excellent spotter or fighter either way." The hawk seemed a bit agitated, so I slowly extended my wings a bit. Her head snapped around and fixed her steely gaze on me. She spread her wings as much as the cage would allow, imitating me, and I noticed that my wings had a similar colour to hers. I moved forward and undid the latch on the cage, keeping an eye on her beak. Slowly, I slid my hand through the hatch and on to her back. No one moved, not even the animals. Closing my eyes, I focused on the image of Tess. I imagined her gliding over the red dirt of the Australian outback, eyes scanning the bare ground for the smallest sign of prey. I imagined her tearing a rabbit in half with her beak, blood staining her talons. As I did, she became still and calm, almost like she was asleep.

"That's it. You've acquired her. Now just break contact and it's done. She'll stay like that for a few more seconds, but it doesn't hurt her." Cassie was very reassuring, so I pulled my hand back out of the cage and closed the hatch. Tess shook her head and screeched, annoyed by being touched.

"I'd better put her back down the back now. None of us had a good experience the first time we morphed with the animal there. Jake was attacked by his dog, and I was nearly trampled by my horses." She took Tess to the back of the barn and put the cover back over the cage.

"So what do I do now?" I asked.

< Focus on the mental image of the bird you have acquired, similar to how you acquired it, and the morphing process will begin. > For such an intelligent species, Andalites are not good at making things sound simple.

"Uh, what?" I didn't understand anything of that before 'begin'.

"He means just concentrate on Tess again and the morph will happen." At least Marco could understand him. Then again, these guys had to figure it out on their own. Taking a deep breath, I focused on the DNA of the hawk. Almost immediately, I felt the sensation of falling. It was strange, because everything was getting taller, but my feet were still on the ground. Looking at my feet, I saw the sharp talons of the hawk tear their way out of my sneakers. Great. Now I'd have to get new shoes. And I am not the shopping type. As soon as I stopped shrinking, the bones in my arms dissolved, leaving them floppy and useless, before they drew up into my body. My hair receded back into my scalp like someone was eating it like spaghetti. A feather pattern spread itself across my body from my wings, looking like a faded tattoo, before bursting through my skin into real feathers. My lips hardened and bulged outward into the hooked beak of the hawk. My eyes moved outwards to the sides of my head, and suddenly it was like looking through binoculars. I could feel something bubbling up under my own consciousness, so I focused on keeping it under control. Then it all stopped. I was a hawk, and I finally had a body to match my wings. I opened my beak to say something to the Animorphs, but all that came out was a hoarse, screeching cry that made the smaller animals jump. Tobias seemed to understand what I was trying to do.

< That doesn't work. Try thinking at us. It's called thought speak, and works like E-Mail. Just want your thoughts to be heard by us, and only we will hear it. > I looked at him and thought hard.

<Can you hear me? > I guess it worked, because they all jumped.

"Geez, no need to yell." Marco raised a hand to his ears, then must have realised that I wasn't actually speaking out loud.

"You didn't have any trouble with the hawks instincts, did you? Tobias didn't think you would because you're already part hawk." Remind me to never ask Rachel to put something delicately. She has the bluntness of a butter knife that can't be sharpened. Or a spoon.

< Is that what that was? I had a bit of a feeling for a little while, but it wasn't anything too intense. I guess I have to deal with that every day, me having hawk wings and all. >  
I flapped my wings and did a lap of the inside of the barn before perching on the rafter next to Tobias.

< What now? >

It was Rachel who answered. "We go shopping at the Yeerk pool, smash and grab style!" Marco face palmed.


	9. No Going Back

Chapter 8: No Going Back

We couldn't attack that day because the others had school, and it would look suspicious if none of them turned up to school. Tobias and I don't have that problem anymore, and Ax never went to school on Earth anyway. That made us the recon team. Erek said that all the entrances were in the subway stations, but Ax reasoned that they would have to get their fighters and shuttles into the pool somehow. We morphed birds and coaster around town, riding the thermals up high before gliding down to the next one. Tobias showed us the air channels that the buildings formed, like a water slide. Even with the lightest breeze up higher, the wind funneled through the alleys and streets like a hurricane. Just gliding was fun enough, but I admit I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I flapped hard, quickly pulling away from the others. The windows sped past, a blue-black blur. I dove down to street level, dodging flag poles and trees. The lunchtime rush hour was on, and I zigzagged around the slow moving cars, under and over power lines and traffic lights before spiraling around a sky-scraper until the rush had finally worn off. I landed on a aerial of some sort, and caught my breath. Tobias and Ax caught up after a bit and perched nearby.

< I remember when I first morphed the hawk, I did the exact same thing as you. It really gives you a sense of freedom, to go wherever you want, whenever you want, doesn't it? >

< Yeah, just savouring the moment. I wish I could do this everyday. > I stretched my wings out, feeling the warmth of the midday sun on them. I definitely had to do this when I morphed back. < Hey guys. I can see my house from here! > I know it's very cliché, but it was true. Ax came over closer.

< You cannot go back to your family. By now the Yeerks will have every single controller on Earth searching for you. You represent a new species of Controllers for them, and as such would not have released you unless you were infested. You are lucky that the Peace Movement helped you escape to warn us. If they intended to conquer another planet using Controllers like yourself, then the conditions there must prevent them from using Hork-Bajir. They do not like to be on the loosing side, the Yeerks. > It wasn't exactly comforting to learn that I could never return home to my family, so I decided there and then to make the Animorphs my new family. They understand that everyone has their individual quirks, some larger than others, mine bigger than most. I fit in with them, something I couldn't do by myself. If I had lips, I would have smiled.

< Hey. I think I've found something, > called Tobias. We flapped our way over to the building that he'd perched on, a high rise apartment complex.

< What's up? > I asked.

< The vacant block across the street. I think it's a hologram. You can see it waver here and there every so often. >

< Are you sure? How'd you find it? > No harm in asking if it helps us see other holograms.

< I was watching a crow trying to break open a snail by dropping it from a height. Only the snail never made an impact, it went straight through that rock over there. > I had to give it to him, he had a neat eye for detail. If there's one animal I'd want to be stuck as, it would have to be a hawk.

< How do you propose we make an entrance? > asked Ax.

< We do what the snail did. We drop through the roof. >

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _ **I borrowed the "air-slide" idea from another fanfic I read a while ago, but I can't find it now. Credit to them for that. (Thx)**_

 _ **Mav**_


	10. Into The Lair of the Beast

Chapter 10: Into The Lair of The Beast

To say the Yeerks had picked a good hiding spot for the entrance would be a lie. Anyone can walk into the disabled toilets, and it would only take a dropped phone or wallet for someone to accidentally press the button. We didn't have any trouble finding it, and soon we were free falling down past layers of rocks and sand. Before we hit the bottom, compressed air shot out from beneath us, slowing our descent to a heavy thud at the base of the shaft.

"Lead the way," Jake said to me. "You know where they're keeping them." I looked around, trying to see through the gloom. I didn't really get a good look at things when I made my escape, so I morphed the hawk again. Flapping my wings hard, I rose through the thick air, keeping close to the wall so I wouldn't be seen. Then I spotted it. A small building next to a row of cages. There were people in the cages, and I could hear them screaming from all the way up here, sobbing helplessly or just staring into space, not making a sound. It's over near the cages, that grey plasterboard one, I called down to the others. I dove back to the shaft and started to demorph. if there was going to be a throw-down, I wanted to see their faces when they realized I was the one who escaped. The fact that I had zero practice fighting as hawk was a minor factor. Besides, Tobias was already flying cover from above, seeing as he didn't have to morph.

< Any time you like guys. We've got two Hork Bajir by the infestation pier, as per normal, but none anywhere else that I can see. Must be a quiet day for the... Whoa! What the heck is that? >

"Ax, could you ask Tobias what he can see," asked Jake. Ax relayed the message in thought-speak.

< Tobias, Prince Jake wishes to know what it is that you have spotted that caused you such alarm. >

< I don't know what it is. It looks like a... Well the closest thing I can think of is a werewolf, only more human-ish. > An image popped into my head of a large, shaggy haired wolf standing on its hind legs, holding a large gun, glaring at something with a piece of bloody flesh dropping from its teeth.

"It's called an Eraser, a wolf-human hybrid that they use as guards around the School," I said. The others just stared at me. "Hey. I don't know. It just sort-of came out. It's like my mouth had a mind of its own."Jake looked a bit flustered.

"Ok, once we're done here, you and Tobias need to have a talk about someone called the Ellimist." I shrugged. It could wait.

"Are we just going to stand here talking or are we going to liberate a possible army, because I'm getting kinda jumpy," said Rachel. Jake nodded, and everyone began morphing their combat animal of choice. Marco was morphing something hairy, as were Cassie and Rachel, and Jake had huge claws growing from his fingers. Ax just stood there impassively, his stalk eyes rotating freely, keeping an eye out for Controllers. Soon, before me stood a tiger, a gorilla, a wolf and a bear.

< Lets do this! > Three guesses who that was. The others all ran of to create mayhem and destruction while I took a running start. I flapped hard and joined Tobias near the top of the domed roof.

"Hey Tobias, could I ask you something? Jake told me to ask you about someone called the Ellimist. Whats the story there?"

< The Ellimist is a being of enormous power who lives in a different plane of reality to us. He uses us as pieces in a giant game of chess between himself and another being called Crayak. Crayak is what could only be described as pure evil. He wants to destroy the galaxy, but the Ellimist is holding him back. They have these rules that prevent them from interfering directly, but that doesn't stop him bending the rules every now and then. I helped him rescue a group of Hork Bajir and he created a hidden valley for them. In return, he gave me my morphing powers back. The only catch is that he left me in my hawk body. If I ever want to be human again, I have to morph. > I thought for a bit.

"If he's so powerful, could he make a thought appear in my head? Because I recognized those wolf things, even though I've never seen one."

< Definitely. That's how he led me to the hidden valley. I had this image in my mind, clear as day, yet I'd never been there. > Suddenly he dived down to the fight below. I realised that I should probably be down there too, and folded my wings in. The wind whipped my hair into my face and made my eyes tear up before I swooped down to land on the roof of the School. Well, more of through the roof than on it. Plaster fell around me, and more than a few pieces hit me on the head. The people in the cages just stared at me. After all, it's not every day that someone falls through the roof of a secret lab. I ran over to the first cage and unlocked it.

"Hey, I'm Max. We're here to get you out."


	11. Fang

Chapter 11: Fang

By the time I'd unlocked all of the cages, the fight was well and truly over outside. What surprised me was that most of the cages were empty, save a few near the back of the room. The others soon joined me in the lab, leading the escapees out the door. One of them paused as he ran by.

"I remember you. You're the one who got out a few months ago. You had this whole place in an uproar, you know." The simple fact that one person could upset so many people made me smile.

"Yeah. That was me. I couldn't properly say goodbye to the people who did this to me then." I showed him my wings. He shook his head.

"I'm Nick, Nick Walker, but the others call me Fang. The white coats didn't know if you had survived the process, so they created the Erasers as security and repeated the experiment on us. Only five of us survived, the others didn't last much longer than a couple of days." I put my hand around his shoulder and steered him towards the stairs. They could be back any minute, and it looked pretty incriminating as to who had been here.

"We have to go. Now. Just follow that tiger," I said. He jumped, and looked around. "Don't worry, he won't eat you. He's friendly."

< Is that everyone? > Jake asked. I nodded. < Then let's get going. I don't want to be here when Visser Three finds out all of his experiments have escaped. The others are already outside. > We followed him back to the stairs, where I asked Fang a question that had been on my mind since I escaped.

"Was there anyone else like me? With wings, I mean." He smiled, and took off his shirt. Folded neatly on his back were a pair of shiny black wings, like a crow's, only bigger.

"The five, excuse me, six of us who escaped are like a mismatched flock of birds. We all have wings, but none are the same. The white coats did different experiments on us. That guy over there, we call him Iggy. Short for ignite because he made an entire cage explode using a paper clip, two pieces of gum and some dirt off the floor. They tried to improve his night vision, but failed. Now he's blind. The dark skinned girl over there is able to attract and move metal. She can talk the ears off anyone though, so we call her Nudge. It's the only way to shut her up. Then there's Angel and the Gasman, both siblings taken at the same time. Angel can listen to people's thoughts, and Gazzy can mimic any sound. Oh, and there's a reason why he's called the Gasman. Stay upwind at all times." I shook my head. What these guys had gone through is enough to make anyone go insane. It's a miracle they survived in the condition they did. Just then, Ax walked up behind us. Fang just stared.

< Max, Prince Jake wishes to remind you that we need to leave immediately. > I sighed.

"Yeah, we're on our way."


	12. The Ellimist And The Flock

Chapter 12: The Ellimist and The Flock

We ran hard that day. I morphed to human and led the other escapees through the streets and out of town to the forest. None of them could fly, so it took us a while, but we got there eventually. I showed them the hut Ax had helped me make, before plonking myself down on a low branch. I sighed deeply.

 _~~Do not rest yet, Max. There is still much for them to learn~~_ I jumped. That voice. It was unlike anything I'd ever heard, yet familiar at the same time. It spoke without words, but it wasn't thought speak. I looked over to Angel. She was fast asleep on my bed.

"Ellimist?" I asked. A figure appeared before me. An old, grey haired man with small, round glasses. But he radiated a sense of power, wisdom, and patience. "Yes. I am, among other names, the Ellimist. I see that the Animorphs have told you about me and my games with Crayak." I jumped down from the branch and stormed over to him.

"They said you were not to be trusted, that you were a puppet master. You say you can't interfere, yet you put people in positions they have only one real way out of. You used Tobias to free those Hork Bajir and left him with an insanely difficult choice. Yeah, I've heard about you," I snarled.

"Then you would know that I could create a safe haven for you and your flock." I stopped.

"My what?" Just because I'd rescued them... He sighed.

"You do not know this, but you are not of this universe. You and the Flock were brought here from another universe by Crayak. I believe he was trying to help the Yeerks in the same way that I help the Animorphs. By giving them a choice. I have kept an eye over you long before you were kidnapped, and I believe you are ready to be returned to your own universe. That is, if you want to go..." Slowly, my brain processed what he was saying.

"Wait a minute. The Erasers, the cliff. That was you, wasn't it? Well of course it was. But why?" I asked. He smiled.

"Because it was necessary that you knew about the Erasers. And what is the point of having wings if you can not fly? It may not have been essential that you learnt, but I believed you deserved a payment for the pain you have endured." I thought for a minute.

"What happens if I choose to go with you to this other universe? What about the Animorphs? Will they remember me? Will they even know I existed?"

"Only if you want them to. I realise that this must be a hard choice, and as such, I will give you a day to decide." At that, the figure of the Ellimist began to fade. "Remember Max, your choice will affect many people, both directly and indirectly, which ever way you choose. Choose wisely." He faded almost completely, only his mouth showing like a Cheshire Cat, before that too disappeared.


	13. Late Night Musings

Chapter 13: Late Night Musings

I paced all night. One thought ran circles in my head, and when it got dizzy it ran the other way. To go or not to go. It was driving me crazy. On one hand, I'd be safe from Yeerks. I could even show the world my wings. I'd never be a freak again. On the other hand, though, I couldn't just leave the Animorphs to fight alone. We could help them fight. The Yeerks versus the Animorphs and the Flock. Sure, the others would need to use the blue cube, but we could be a real help to them. I spread my wings and took a running start. Flying has always cleared my thoughts, especially if I'm just gliding around in the clouds, but this time I was headed somewhere specific. I gained a bit of altitude on a slight breeze before wheeling around to point in a northerly direction. Don't ask me how I knew, it's like I've got a built it compass or something. Probably help from you-know-who. Not Voldermort. The other you-know-who.

I circled the meadow a few times before landing at the base of a large tree with a thud.

Jeez Max, don't do that. Give a guy some warning when you land in his front yard. Then again, you're not the first one to do that. Owls scare the crap out of me too.

"Sorry Tobias, but I had to talk to you." I slid down the base of the tree to rest on the ground. "I just had a visit from your friend the Ellimist."

I wouldn't exactly call him my friend, he's more of a guy to be wary of. His mind must work like a fortune cookie, always two steps ahead of everything, preparing for every eventuality. He's never straight out about anything if you ask a direct question. Or indirect, for that matter. Don't take what he says literally, he's basically a dictionary of metaphors.

"So him telling me that I'm from a parallel universe was a metaphor?" I asked.

Possibly, possibly not. Did he say anything about a safe place or something?

"Yeah."

Then he's trying to manipulate the rules. The first time we met him, the we were in cockroach morph, about to be eaten by a Taxxon. He froze time and gave us a choice. To leave Earth for another planet with our families, or to stay and be eaten by the Taxxon. He didn't follow through on the offer, but while time was frozen we saw a way out of the Yeerk pool. He allowed us to see a way out. Not direct interference, but manipulation of the rules. Crayak couldn't do anything because the Ellimist hadn't actually done anything himself. He'll use us as he sees fit, provided he can find a way to circumvent the rules.

"Say he could find a way around the rules, would he? I mean, he made it sound pretty convincing that he would."

He might, but I don't know. There's only one way to find out though, I guess. But be sure that its what you want, because I highly doubt that he'd bring you back again.


	14. Breakfast At Ereks

Chapter 14: Breakfast at Ereks

By the time I'd flown back to the hut, the sun was well and truly up. My heart skipped a few beats when I saw that the door was open and no-one was there. I looked around frantically, searching for a clue as to where they'd gone, whether there'd been a struggle. Then I saw the note stuck to the inside of the door. "Max, a guy called Erek came and offered us breakfast at his place. He said he was a friend of yours, and to ask the Joker where the dog lives. He said it would take you to his place. He also gave an address for you to go to first. See you soon, Nick (Fang) P.s: 23/415 Virginia Avenue P.p.s: it's bacon and eggs." I breathed a deep sigh of relief. So they were with Erek, that's ok. And that riddle wasn't that hard either. Go to Marco's and ask where the Chee live. All I had to do was find a map of the city, right?

(-)

Turns out Marco lives in a less than welcoming part of town. I morphed to human behind a dumpster before walking the last couple of blocks. More than once I had to fend off some weirdoes. After finding out which floor their apartment was on from the receptionist, I took the stairs. Elevators make me jumpy now, being claustrophobic and all. I knocked on the door. A man opened it, looking like he hadn't slept for a month.

"Who are you and what do you want?" he slurred.

"I'm Max... uh, I mean Maya. Maya Walker. Is Marco home? I'm a friend from school." He turned and yelled over his shoulder.

"Marco, there's a Maya Walker from school here to see you!" A short while later, Marco walked out, pulling on a sweater as he went.

"Dad, I don't know anyone called Maya... But I certainly would like to. Hello!"

"Ugh! I'll leave you two to it then." With that, Marco's dad shuffled back inside, muttering about young love and Marco trying again.

"Hey, do you want to grab a..." Marco started, but I cut him off.

"Marco! It me, Max!"

"Max? Oh! Max. Right, right. Sup?"

"I need to know where Erek lives. I found a note this morning that said that he came to my place and the others went with him for breakfast."

"Uh, yeah. Sure. I'll just tell Dad I'm going out then I'll come with you." He stuck his head back around the door. "Hey Dad, me and Maya are just going out for a while. I should be back before dark."

"Whatever," his Dad mumbled back.


	15. Final Post

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Sorry if you were expecting another chapter here, but that's all I got folks.**_

 _ **I am officially putting this up for adoption if anyone wants it**_

 _ **Thanks to the 16 visitors to the story as of going to (figurative) print.**_

 _ **It means a lot to me that people do actually make it past the terrible prologue.**_

 _ **I know it's not great reading or a huge story, but I believe it has potential. I'm just not that good at writing.**_

 _ **Feel free to re-write anything, just give credit where you feel it's due, as with anything in life  
**_

 _ **The sky's the limit to all who believe**_

 _ **This is me, signing out...**_

 _ **Maverick2797**_

 _ **Thanks**_


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